Where are all the average weight autistics?

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I'm overweight and I have noticed that autistic people are either extremely skinny or overweight. I rarely see average weight autistic people. Does autism affect metabolism or something?

I'm not extremely skinny or obese, I'm a healthy weight. I'm sure I'm not the only one here, either.

My bmi is 20, which is in the normal range.

I've ranged from 125 to 230 pounds as an adult. Some of the great variability has to do with my preference to eat the same thing each day until I start to have ill effects from the limited diet. So most of the time I'll be putting on a couple of pounds every month or taking off a couple of pounds every month for years on end, until I wind up at an unhealthily high or low weight. I've read that many autistics prefer to eat the same thing for extended periods, and I certainly fit into that category. It's hard to craft a diet that's exactly the right number of calories per day. I did keep my weight at a healthy 175 for about 10 years once - that involved aerobic and weight-bearing exercise every day. I've learned that being at a lower weight feels better - more energy to move around and it helps my mood.

I notice this, as well. I have a million things to say on this topic. Here are my thoughts.
First of all, I happen to be a healthy weight for my height, but I wasn't always.
Food can be a source of immense comfort to a lonely individual, and when you have trouble socializing then food becomes a very big, stimulating part of your day. When you have Netflix and a jar of Nutella then who the heck needs friends anyway, right?
I used to binge eat without even realize that I was binge eating. I kind of ignored remarks from family members who would try to talk to me about my "weight problem." Little did they know it was more of an eating problem, but of course all they saw was my weight. I'd get lots of, "you have such a pretty face" and "you'd look so good if you lost weight" and blah blah blah. I was probably thirty pounds overweight when I finally decided to go on a diet.
I don't feel like going into details, but to make a long story short, I took it too far, lost too much weight, developed an eating disorder, and when I tried to eat normally again, I switched right back to binge eating because food comforted me, and I had no friends. So weight comes back, I discover bulimia, and weight kinda comes off again, rinse, recycle, repeat. This has literally gone on with me for 13 years. I consider myself to be in recovery from a full blown eating disorder, and I may not eat normally now (I eat a big meal once at night and sometimes a snack or two after...this just works for me, I'm not suggesting this to anyone) but I am definitely more in control of myself with food.
I feel like it's easy to become overweight when food is a source of comfort, and we autistic fools love to be comforted!
I feel like people with autism tend to be very picky about food, and it can lead to cutting out a lot of food from your diet, which is why many people with autism are underweight.
Autism most definitely does not have anything to do with metabolism, but metabolism has to do with more than our bodies; it is connected to our minds and our spirits as well. (I'm obsessed with metaphysics, okay?) I think the key to being a healthy weight is to treat food as if it is sacred, and enjoy it fully instead of eating mindlessly in front of the computer or TV (although I am so guilty of doing this, and I usually eat more than my body needs when I do this, and I just gotta deal with the consequences...that's what exercise is for, right?) Food is more than just fuel - it's a gift to us, and we should cherish it.
Junk food may not be good for us, and it can and totally will mess with our moods, but if you enjoy the heck out of it, then allow yourself to eat the gosh darn cheetos! Don't deprive yourself! LIVE!
Thanks for bringing this topic up. It's really interesting.

Sensory issues may cause either dislike for food or craving for it.
Some of us easily forget to eat.
Eating disorders are not uncommon.
Meds for depression and anxiety cause gaining weight.
Not many autistics like sports.

I'm average to slightly above average in both weight and height, and muscular rather than fat. Just shy of 6", and just shy of 200 lbs.

Here's one! My BMI is 23,70 so it's clearly closer to overweight than underweight, but still normal and not alarmingly close to the line between normal and overweight.

I used to be overweight though and the reason was, without a doubt, eating too much, too unhealthy and too little exercise. I mean sure, I did have a medication that made gaining weight easier, but since my weight didn't start dropping immediately after I no longer needed those meds, I'd say that they didn't really have a big part in the mess. Then again, when I was a kid my parents let me take the meds with soda since I liked it and it made me take them with less complaining, so I suppose the meds could also be blamed indirectly. But mainly I was overweight because I was lazy and because my parents weren't strict enough. I mean if I got overweight again I could blame no one but myself, but since I became overweight as a child, my parents are also partly responsible. They should've controlled my eating harder.

I'm around the average weight (for my height) at present, but over time my weight has radically fluntucated.

I used to be skinny before two pregnancies and antidepressants.
Now, due to the two mentioned above, I'm in the middle of healthy weight range.

I’m 5 foot 5, 180 lbs. Overweight, but not obese.

Look at the pictures of Wrong Planeteers posted. You will notice that most people are within the average range in weight.

22 BMI with good muscle mass.

Rant: these exaggerations get on my nerves: autistics are either skinny or fat, either asexual or into kink etc. Very annoying.

This is an excellent attitude and can also have other health benefits (I'm talking as someone who has struggled with recurring gastritis for years, due to work/business meals and generally being stressed while eating. Once I started taking time for my meals and not allowing stressors while I eat, the problem vanished).

I think of food as something to be enjoyed.

I'm not going to worship at the "foot" of food.

However....there is something to be said for considering your body your "temple".....

^
I would also see "sacred" as a rather strong word under the circumstances (but I don't think she was suggesting "worshipping" food) - at least for me, the principle still stands.

Come to think of it, I got my weight under better control after I moved out of my parents' house and actually had to pay for all of my food (well okay, they still treat me to lunch about once a month or so but that's not the point.) When I'm low on money, I keep a better eye on what I buy and actually understand it's value better when I have to get the money for the ingredents, choose and buy them and then prepare the meal. If I'd had a well paying job by the time I moved out I might not have learned a thing, though. Having no other choice is often a great teacher with things like these.